Senior Director of Communications

Role Overview

• Senior Leadership: Serve as a key member of the Development leadership team, contributing to high-level decision-making and ensuring seamless alignment between communications, advocacy, and organizational priorities. Lead the development of an integrated communications strategy that elevates the organization’s brand and amplifies its impact statewide.
• Team Management: Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing communications team, fostering an environment of creativity, collaboration, and continuous learning. Cultivate leadership within the team, empowering individuals to take ownership of projects and develop professionally.
• Crisis Communication: Lead crisis communications efforts, crafting rapid response strategies, managing high-pressure situations, and mitigating reputational risks while maintaining transparency and trust.
• Project Management: Manage timelines, budgets, and resources, ensuring projects are completed on schedule and within scope. Demonstrate exceptional ability to meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment, particularly during advocacy campaigns and crisis situations, while maintaining high-quality standards. Leverage project management tools like Asana to set clear expectations, track progress, and promote accountability.
• Content Creation: Oversee the creation of compelling, high-quality content, including press releases, op-eds, speeches, donor communications, case for support, campaign storytelling, talking points, social media, and multimedia assets. Ensure all communications are consistent, culturally competent, and aligned with Planned Parenthood’s brand identity and values.
• Media Relations: Build and maintain strong relationships with journalists, editors, and media outlets. Serve as a spokesperson when needed, proactively pitch stories, and manage media inquiries to ensure accurate, timely, and impactful coverage.
• Impact Measurement & Optimization: Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the effectiveness of communication initiatives. Regularly analyze data, gather insights, and adapt strategies to enhance reach, engagement, and overall impact. Present results to leadership and stakeholders to inform decision-making.
• Advocacy and Electoral Communications: Oversee communication efforts related to electoral activities, including voter education and mobilization, candidate endorsements, and supporting Planned Parenthood’s related 501(c)(4), PAC, and SuperPAC entities.
• Marketing: Direct the marketing of Planned Parenthood of Michigan’s health and education services, managing vendor relationships and ensuring brand consistency.
• Internal Communications: Strengthen internal communication channels to ensure staff are informed, connected, and aligned with organizational goals. Foster a culture of transparency and engagement by coordinating internal newsletters, meetings, and other means of communication to enhance collaboration and team cohesion.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate and maintain positive relationships with other PPMI team members, stakeholders, partners, and community leaders to advance Planned Parenthood's mission and move collaborative projects forward. The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties, and skills. Other duties may be added, and this job description can be amended at any time.

Requirements

• At least 5-8 years of donor communications, media relations, case of support, and campaign storytelling experience.
• At least 3-4 years of experience in a leadership and/or supervisory role.
• Demonstrated skill in partnering with other functional areas to accomplish objectives; incorporating needs, wants and goals from different business unit perspectives into communication materials and/or reporting information designed to meet the end goal and objective.
• Demonstrated commitment to Planned Parenthood’s mission, vision and values
• Willingness to work flexible hours depending upon organizational needs and commute to statewide events when necessary.
• Ability to work under pressure on multiple projects concurrently and meet deadlines in a fast-paced work environment with frequent interruptions and changing priorities.
• Facilitate meetings, ensuring that all viewpoints, ideas and problems are addressed.
• Attend to detail while maintaining a big picture orientation.
• Gather information, identify connections and trends and apply findings to assignments
• Be an engaged listener with the ability to build consensus both within and outside the organization.
• Gather information, identify links and trends and apply findings to assignments.
• Inspire enthusiasm and influence, motivate and persuade others to achieve desired outcomes.
• Interpret and apply organizational policies and identify and recommend changes as appropriate.
• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Work independently as well as collaboratively within a team environment.
• Lead and work in a remote environment.
• Handle stressful situations and provide a high level of customer service to internal and external stakeholders in a calm and professional manner.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships at all levels of the organization.
• Solve problems, analyze information and data, and manage projects.
• Ability to convey ideas and opinions clearly to others; project credibility, poise, and confidence; consider the needs of an audience and predict possible responses; talk to people in a way they can understand; listen attentively; and communicate effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to create donor communications, case for support and campaign storytelling
• Strong understanding of reproductive health issues, advocacy, and the Michigan political landscape.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently with remote teams and off-site supervision, exercise professional judgment and demonstrate self-motivation.
• Exercise a high degree of judgment and diplomacy and maintain confidentiality.

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• STD
• LTD
• Life & ADD
• 403B
• Flexible Spending Account
• Generous Paid Time off Program
• Free healthcare at our clinics for you and your immediate family!